Princelings Urge Parole For Imprisoned Nobel Laureate

Descendants of China’s Communist founding fathers have been pushing for the early release of imprisoned Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo, two unnamed sources tell Reuters. Liu was sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2009 for inciting subversion, and received the Nobel Peace Prize the following year. Internal discussion reportedly revolves around international criticism on human rights, with hopes for an improved image abroad weighed against fears that Liu’s freedom would give critics a potent new weapon. From Benjamin Kang Lim and Michael Martina:

[… T]he back channel push for Liu’s parole shows that a debate is taking place among leaders about damage to China’s reputation caused by his jailing. It also suggests the ruling elite are not monolithic when it comes to views on dissent.

[…] “For many princelings, the pros of freeing Liu Xiaobo outweigh the cons,” one of the sources said. “Liu Xiaobo will definitely be freed early. The question is when.”

[…] The sources declined to say how big the group of princelings was, but said most were second- or third-generation born in the 1960s or 1970s and some were close to President Xi Jinping.

“The biggest worry is hostile forces using Liu Xiaobo once he is freed,” the second source told Reuters.

[…] Liu’s lawyer, Mo Shaoping, said that any decision on releasing Liu would be political, not legal. [Source]

[… I]t is still unknown what conduct is alleged to have violated article 293 of the Criminal Law. Likely, it was the release to journalists of a public Statement regarding the symposium– requiring the assertion that it contains false statements. Given that the thrust of the Statement is to call for reflection on the events of 1989, it would be ironic if its authors’ trial required a detailed inquiry into the truth of their comments. [Source]